Illegal Bush Campaign

BushCo violating church/state campaign rules

A (Bush) campaign spokesperson in Pennsylvania admitted to Rabbi Jack Moline, a TIA board member, that the email was from the campaign but had only been intended for central Pennsylvania.

Oh, well, sure. It was only intended for central Pennsylvania. Perfectly alright, then. Not illegal at all to solicit churches for political support...provided they're central PA churches.

"If ever there were a question about the real intent of expanding faith-based initiatives and promoting a presence of religion in government, this tactic puts it to rest," Rabbi Moline said. "The Bush-Cheney campaign has dropped any pretense of honoring the separation of church and state mandated by the Constitution, and puts in jeopardy the non-profit status of 1600 houses of worship by asking them to engage in partisan politics. The President should repudiate this initiative immediately. 1600 Pennsylvania churches for 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. How clever. How reprehensible."

"Sadly, the Bush campaign is willing to jeopardize churches' tax exempt status, by asking them to endorse his candidacy," said Rabbi Gregory S. Marx, Congregation Beth Or, and treasurer of the Southeast Pennsylvania Interfaith Alliance (SEPIA). "This is one further step, way past Bush's 'Faith Based Initiatives' towards blurring the necessary and historic lines separating church and state."

House Repugnants respond to BushCo's illegal campaign activity by introducing legislation to allow churches "a limited number of violations of the existing rules against political endorsements without jeopardizing their tax-exempt status".

Although its chances of enactment are uncertain, Democrats and other critics of the proposal argue that its timing suggests that Republicans are trying to bend the tax rules in time to help the president's re-election campaign.

You think?

The Rev. Barry Lynn, executive director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, said the timing "simply reeks to high heaven, literally."

But Steve Schmidt, a spokesman for the Bush campaign, called Mr. Lynn's view extreme.

"He would like to exclude people of faith from participating in America's civic life and participating in the political process," Mr. Schmidt said.

Yeah, that's what the Reverend Barry Lynn wants.

"That is just fundamentally wrong. The Bush campaign has an inclusive message. The campaign wants people of faith to participate in the political process."

No, the Bush campaign wants the followers of those church leaders it has in its pocket to vote as their pastors tell them.

The Safe Harbor for Churches provision is less sweeping than previous proposals to change the rules. It would greatly reduce the tax penalties for either one or two deliberate political endorsements in a calendar year and would also allow a church to make as many as three "unintentional" political endorsements in a calendar year without penalty. It does not define "unintentional.''

This is absolutely laughable. Will legislation be proposed soon allowing, say, a person to get stoned 3 times "unintentionally" as well as, oh, one or two times deliberately, but at a reduced penalty? "Hey, man...yeah, I was high, but it was totally an accident! This is my free-bee...catch ya later, Coppah!"